1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pan assembly and cooking method which provides for simultaneous cooking of two food portions, for example, portions which are to be combined after cooking to form an entree. Although a primary purpose of the invention is the simultaneous preparation of pasta and sauce, it is to be understood that the pan and method could also be utilized for a wide variety of entrees or recipes.
2. Discussion of Background
Fast food restaurants enjoy continued popularity due to their convenience and ability to provide food rapidly at a relatively low cost. A number of food products are currently available in fast food restaurants, such as hamburgers, chicken and pizza. Such food products are suitable for fast food restaurants due to their popularity, as well as the ability to easily prepare such foods by busy, often inexperienced, employees. Even though a variety of food products are available in fast food restaurants, customers, particularly frequent customers, can become bored by the relatively few choices. In addition, often customers will dine in a group, making it difficult to select a restaurant, for example if one or more persons of the group had already eaten a particular fast food earlier that day or the preceding day. Accordingly, new food products which can be prepared in a fast food restaurant are quite desirable.
Pasta dishes enjoy wide-spread popularity due to their pleasing taste as well as the more recent recognition of pasta dishes as an important nutritional component of a balanced diet. Some restaurants have attempted to provide pasta dishes in a semi-fast food context. For example, sometimes stands or small restaurants will have a number of wire net type pans which can be readily immersed for cooking pasta. The chef monitors the pasta, and thereafter adds a sauce, often which is contained in a large pot sufficient for a number of pasta servings. However, such an arrangement is often time-consuming for the chef, requiring constant monitoring, and only a limited number of customers can be accommodated at a particular time. Thus, such arrangements are labor intensive, and can cause a delay in serving the customer. In addition, where a large sauce quantity is utilized for a number of pasta dishes, the sauce can become unpleasant if it has been heated over an extended period of time. Such arrangements are also inconvenient from a clean-up standpoint.
Accordingly, a cooking assembly and method is desirable which can be utilized in fast food restaurants and which can provide for simultaneous cooking of a plurality of ingredients or components of a food dish, for example pasta and sauce. Such an arrangement should be able to provide for rapid cooking with a relatively little amount of skill and time required on the part of the fast food employee. In addition, such arrangements should provide for relatively easy clean-up, as well as convenience in handling of the utensils utilized for preparation of the pasta dish.